


Tell 'Em to Make it Count

by ATotalNightmare



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Grief, Halo: Reach, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Please like this, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spartan!Caboose, i wrote this on a burst of energy, once i figure out what the fuck i'm doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-16 08:30:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21504922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ATotalNightmare/pseuds/ATotalNightmare
Summary: There'd always been this massive gap in his memory. Caboose never knew why it was there, or what memories had once been there. There were things he knew that he shouldn't know, things he remembered that he shouldn't remember, and people he knew that he supposedly never met. One night, though, those memories come back. They come back in nightmares, figures, sillhouettes, and barely-remembered phrases. One thing that always stuck out to him the most was one phrase, though."Tell 'em to make it count."(What if Noble Six lived? What if Noble Six and Michael J. Caboose were the same person?)RVB-Halo Reach fusion AU
Relationships: Michael J. Caboose/Agent Washington
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91





	1. Memories Long Forgotten

Caboose shifted and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. Which was odd, for him, because usually he could fall asleep quickly, but that night, his brain seemed particularly active.

He fidgeted again, turning back onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. A hand went up to his neck, and he rubbed at it, feeling as if something was missing. It brought an uneasy and anxious feeling in Cabooses stomach. What was he missing? He felt as if he'd forgotten something important.

He huffed through his nose, deciding to see if he could find whatever it is that he was missing. After all, if Caboose had something that he left somewhere, and it was important, it was most likely in his room and somewhere near.

Standing, Caboose shifted from foot to foot, before starting to look through his things. He didn't have a lot (which was kind of disappointing but unsurprising), besides dressers, a desk, and a laptop, as well as a tv. He'd insisted on making his room look more home-ier, since before it had looked dull and bland, which hadn't helped him sleep. Caboose shifted through random things, pushing stuff aside before putting it back, and looking inside various drawers. He sighed disappointedly, almost giving up, before something caught his eye.

There, sitting at the foot of his bed was his blue armor, neatly organized.

Caboose remembered how he could put stuff in his chest plate (which sometimes got him into trouble, but not often since everyone else did it too), so he decided to look in there. He stepped towards the armor, crouching down, and gently and carefully pulled apart a couple of layers before seeing something glint. His eyebrows shot up in surprise (though he felt he shouldn't be surprised), and he reached a hand down inside, easily grabbing at the cold metal. Caboose carefully lifted his hand out, letting go of the armor. He opened his hand, and looked at the many objects he'd grabbed.

They were necklaces- no, dogtags. They were slightly rusty and worn, some bent. There were five of them (shouldn't there be six?), and Caboose carefully pulled them apart and untangled them so he could read them. 

The first one he saw was especially broken, the letters engraved on the metal barely readable. But he could read the name fairly easily if he looked hard at it. _Noble One, Carter-A259_ it read. It sounded familiar, so familiar. Cabooses heart skipped a beat, and unrecognizeable feeling settling in his chest. He placed it down on the floor carefully, pulling out the next one.

The second one wasn't very damaged, mostly worn and rusted. The letters engraved were easier to read this time. _Noble Two, Kat-B320_. Caboose gulped, the sound of a gunshot and shouting playing in his head. He quickly shook away his thoughts, forcing his hands to not shake. He placed it down next to Carters dogtags. He looked at the next one.

The third was bent, as if something heavy had fallen on it. The letters were barely legible, so Caboose had to squint to read them. _Noble Four, Emile-A239_. Caboose breathed in deeply, trying to stifle the feeling of loss. These names were familiar, so familiar. He didn't know why, just that they were familiar and carried a feeling of loss so strong it made him want to cry. He took another breath and placed it next to the others, trying to ignore the memory of a shotgun being fired and shouting. Caboose pulled out the second-to-last dogtags.

The fourth was slightly crushed, as if it had been held tightly, and had small burn marks in between the grooves. Caboose squinted at the letters, just barely making out the writing. _Noble Five, Jorge-052_. A full body twitch enveloped him as he remembered being tossed off a ship, the words _"Tell 'em to make it count,"_ echoing in his ears. Caboose took another deep breath to prevent any sound from escaping his throat. Grief stabbed at his chest, and he had no clue why. He placed it next to the rest.

~~_He knew these people, once. He knew them, and they died._~~

Caboose looked at the last one, the writing surprisingly legible and the metal only slightly worn. _Noble Six, SPARTAN-B312_. He nearly dropped it when a sudden thought invaded his mind. _Mine, this... this is mine._ He lightly dragged a thumb over the metal, before slipping the necklace over his head. He grabbed the other dog tags gently, standing, his legs aching. Caboose walked back over to his bed, sitting back down on the soft material. He stuffed the dogtags under his pillow, before finally laying back down, pulling the blanket up to his nose. He reached under the pillow again, placing his hand on the metal of the dog tags.

Exhaustion tugged at his eyelids, and, finally feeling comforted (though full of grief), Caboose let his eyes close, and darkness welcomed him, both comforting and so, so terrifying.


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trauma's a bitch, ain't it?

_The hovering sound of Phantoms entered earshot and left it just as quickly, the sound of Covenant enemies being dropped constant. ~~Caboose~~ Noble Six panted heavily, wincing at a plasma burn leaking blood in his side, the blue armor charred black and the red liquid dripping and staining it, almost making the armor appear a red-violet. Six placed a hand on his knee from his kneeling position, and forced himself up, grunting as he did so. He tossed his empty assault rifle to the side, grabbing a dirty plasma rifle near the corpse of an Elite he'd recently killed. The dirt was orange, the sky the same color, Covenant cruisers, Banshees, and Phantoms filling it. It was a sight Six had never wanted to see on the once-beautiful Reach, but it seemed it had come to that._

_Upon looking up, the first thing that greeted him was a Sangheili leading a squad of Grunts, running directly towards him, Energy Sword in hand. The handful of Grunts fired at Six, and he dodged clumsily, exhaustion and pain making him sluggish. He raised his rifle, firing, and the comforting sight of Grunts falling greeted him, but it was interrupted by the Elite tackling him. Six grunted, and grabbed the Elites wrist that held the sword, raised and ready to bury it's end into him. He twisted the wrist, firing his rifle into the aliens stomach, and the sound of the plasma weapon dropping entered his ears. Before the Elite was able to fight back, Six snatched the sword and buried it into it's chest, an agonized roar leaving the aliens mandibles before it went limp. The terrified yells of Grunts was heard and trailed away as they ran, and Six raised the rifle and fired, the body dropping quickly. He yanked the sword out of the Sangheili's body, and glanced at his motion tracker. A red dot was racing towards his back, and before he could fully turn, a body slammed into him, knocking the breath out of his lungs._

_A fist slammed into his helmet, and he felt the burn of hot plasma digging into his side. Six yelped in pain and thrashed, kicking at the much stronger Elite. It jumped back, and raised its energy dagger in preparation to meet his flesh, but Six was quick in his motions. Yanking his knife from its sheath, Six quickly jumped up and shoved the knife into the aliens throat. The Elite, clearly shocked, stumbled back, eyes widened and brought a hand up to the knife buried in his neck. Taking the chance in front of him, Six grabbed the sword that had been knocked onto the ground and pierced it into the aliens abdomen, knocking it down. Yanking the sword back out, he barely had the chance to do anything before a shot rang out and pain blossomed in his shoulder, burning and searing white-hot. Another shot, and more pain in his shoulder blade._ Sniper! _Six thought as he ran for cover, ducking behind a broken wall in an abandoned and ruined building. More shots followed after him, every shot hitting the dirt behind him. Heavy breaths exited his mouth, and he groaned as he held a hand to a bleeding stab wound._

Damn it, _Six thought._

_He looked out to the sniper, and the amount of Covenant forces outside._

_He leaned his head back, battered helmet thunking against the hard wall._

I... really can't keep going like this. _He'd been fighting the covenant for the past 3 days, stranded and stuck in the middle of nowhere, alone on Reach._

_The last, only Spartan from the UNSC on Reach._

_Six knew he wouldn't get out alive._

_Words rang in Sixes ears._

_"Tell 'em to make it count."_

_Jorge._

_He clenched his jaw, resolve hardening._

_He would._

_He would do just that._

_Six, slowly stood, pain radiating from the countless wounds he had. His hands rose to his helmet, and tugged it off with practiced ease._

_He raised his rifle,_

_And he fought._

* * *

Caboose woke with a start.

Normally, after nightmares, he never acted violently. But, feeling a hand on his shoulder, fear and panic flew through him.

He twisted, grabbing the persons wrist, twisting it into a painful bend. He wrapped an arm around their throat, and, letting go of their wrist, trapped them into a headlock. 

The person struggled, and spoke in a strained voice. "C-Caboose, it's me, it's Wash!" 

_...Washington?_ Caboose immediately let go, backing up from the uncomfortable position he was in. Wash fell to the ground, grunting. Caboose silently stared at him in surprise, his long brown hair sticking to his sweat-coated face. Even though Caboose was sweating like he was in the hottest pits of a volcano, he felt like he was in a walk-in freezer meant to preserve meat. He was shivering, still dazed from the vivid nightmare he was woken from. Wash, from his crumpled position on the hard floor, slowly got up, rubbing at his neck, wincing. Had... had Caboose really hurt him? Worry and guilt burrowed in his chest. Though, before he could dwell any further on it, Wash spoke. "Geeze, Caboose, sometimes i forget just how strong you are..." Wash looked at Caboose, worry in his features. "...You okay, bud? You don't look too good, and that must've been a hell of a nightmare." The ex-freelancer spoke quietly and carefully, slowly moving towards Cabooses bed. Caboose swallowed, his throat sore and mouth dry enough to make the Sahara Desert weep. Finally, he spoke, voice quiet and cracking. "Um... N-No, not... really. It was a really bad dream." Caboose winced at the pain in his throat when he spoke. It told him he must've been yelling and/or talking in his sleep. Wash's face softened. He glanced to the spot next to Caboose, and said blue giant shifted, giving Wash room to sit. The blonde-haired man carefully sat next to him, folding his legs, getting comfortable. "Do you... wanna talk about it?" Wash quietly, almost shyly, asked, as if the question was something not to be taken lightly. Caboose glanced away for a second, before giving his answer. "Um- well... i- i guess? It's not- it isn't good. It's bad, very bad." Wash nodded.

"Yeah, that's alright. We all have bad dreams. I wouldn't doubt yours are very nice either." Washington gave a gentle, reassuring smile to him. Caboose gave a small smile back, a small warmth settling in his chest, nearly shrouded by the dredges of the fear and sadness the nightmare left behind. He lifted a hand and scratched at the stubble on his chin before starting. "Well, um... no one- no one really knows about this, so can you uh- not... tell anyone? It's kinda, uhm- personal? Y'know?" His voice slowly pitched higher as he continued talking, and when he finished, Wash nodded in understanding. "Yeah, i get that. Won't tell anyone." Wash still had that gentle smile on his face, and Caboose squashed down the warm butterflies in his stomach. He held out a hand, extending his pinky. "Pinky promise?" Wash let out a quiet chuckle, and wrapped his own pinky around Cabooses before taking back his hand. "Pinky promise." Caboose breathed in deeply, now truly starting to talk about his nightmare. 

"W- well, it uh... it was bad. I was... on this planet, a different one- um, i don't really remember the name? But i was alone. There was, ah, a lot of aliens. And i was fighting them." Wash's eyes widened in surprise, nodding at him to keep going when Caboose paused. "Uh, well, i was the... only person on the planet? I think i... stayed behind? to let other people leave... uhm- it was the uh- the UNSC, i think? On the uh... Pillar of Autumn, i think it was called... actually, the uhm- the planet was called Reach, i think." Caboose shifted, looking down at his hands, fidgeting. "Well, i was on the uh, the planet, alone, fighting the bad aliens. There were, uh... Elites, Grunts, and Jackels, there. I uh... i was alone for a long time. For a uh- a few days, i think. I uh. I almost died. A lot." He gulped, neausea building in his stomach, his eyes burning. "I... i had, friends. A- A team. They-" He took another deep breath, "They... died. In front of me." Tears dripped down his cheeks, landing on his hands and blanket. They were hot, and it reminded him of the unbearably hot sun when he had been sent to take down one of those spires on Reach. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up, meeting Washingtons sympathetic eyes. "Hey, 'Boose, you don't have to keep talking if you don't want to." Wash's voice was a soft whisper, understanding in his tone. Caboose silently nodded, and without hesitation, leaned forward and swept Washington into a tight hug. Wash reciprocated, lightly rubbing his back. Caboose finally let himself freely cry, sobs racking in his body, grief finally catching up to him. Guilt and self-blame left his mouth in quiet statements. " _I could have done something, i could've saved them."_ The only thing that countered his cries was Wash, telling him otherwise. 

"No, Caboose, it isn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything to stop it. It's only the Covenants fault, not yours. If anything had gone differently, you wouldn't be here right now." Caboose let Washingtons comforting voice ground him until, eventually, his sobs quieted into small sniffles. He felt Wash tug from his grip, and Caboose leaned back, his back slightly aching for leaning forward into the hug for so long. Wash gave him another small smile, and reached up to ruffle Cabooses hair. "You usually don't blame yourself like this, buddy. I think you've seen enough from the rest of us to know that it gets us nowhere." Caboose grinned at the feeling of Wash's hand in his hair. He looked up towards Wash, the goofy grin still on his face. "Yeah, i know! It's 'cause you're all silly! You're right, Wash! Really, what has happened has happened, and we can't change that! ...Unless you have a time gun and an injured friend, then i guess maybe, but still!" Washington laughed in surprise at his exclamation. Wash patted his arm before getting up. "Alright, bud, get dressed, okay? It's 0700 hours and we gotta get to training soon. Can you be on your own for a while?" Wash asked, standing in the doorway, facing towards him. Caboose nodded vigorously. "Yep!" Wash finally turned away, leaving, and shutting his door.

Cabooses smile faded from his face.

He'd lied to Wash's face, and he hadn't suspected a thing.

After all, there was no way Wash was right that it wasn't his fault his team died.

Good thing was, he'd always been a good liar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LANLSFN Y'ALL I'M SORRY I ABANDONED THIS FIC FOR SO LONG,,, MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS!!! HOPE Y'ALL ENJOY THIS MIX OF FLUFF AND ANGST


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